Useful links for European travel

Here are some useful links to webpages that are just generally useful in planning travel. These are worth browsing in any case, but if you are planning to travel to other destinations than the ones we have listed, you can probably find the information you need here.

 

Snow Express

" Snow Express - the low cost, low hassle way to get to the Alps. If you're looking to ski on a budget this year then Snow Express provides the answer with fares from just £65.00 and no additional charges for luggage or ski's! Coaches run to over 40 top French Ski Resorts. As well as being an exceptionally cheap way to travel to the Alps, the coach is much less hassle too. Forget lengthy journeys to the airport, long queues for check-in, flight delays, lost baggage and even longer transfers to resort. With Snow Express, their comfortable ski coaches take you directly from Central London all the way to resort and whats more,  it's one of the greenest and cleanest way to travel. "

To make a reservation just visit www. snowexpress.co.uk and search for your journey

Enter the following code at the checkout to apply 10% discount to your booking:

Code: Eagle101310

The Man in Seat Sixty-One . . .

 "Flying has lost its glamour.  Many of us now want a more rewarding, low-stress alternative to flying, which brings you closer to the world you live in and reduces your contribution to climate change.  It's time to rediscover real travel by train or ship, where the journey itself is an adventure.  This site explains how to travel comfortably & affordably by train or ferry where you might think that air was now the only option.  For help with train travel, ask the Man in Seat 61! "

This must be the most authoritative site on rail travel, full of useful information. It is a great first port of call in planning any journey, and we often link to specific sections of Seat 61 in the other pages.

All you need to know about ski holidays by train

Wish you could avoid airport queues, tedious transfers and long drives?
Want to travel enjoyably by train instead - to fantastic accommodation in the best ski resorts in the Alps?
Snowcarbon is an independent information site set up by ski journalist Daniel Elkan to help you do exactly that.

 

which will soon become

 

Rail Europe is the UK representative of the French National Railways (SNCF), and through them you can book journeys from London to many European destinations. You can also book Eurostar ticket through them.

There's a useful section on the Voyages SNCF site on  "How do I get the best fares?". The answer is to book ahead, but only up to 120 days for Eurostar or 90 days for most other European journeys. Only a limited number of the lowest fares (those advertised) are available, and these sell quickly when the 3 month window opens. Register for an email reminder, to be notified when the window opens.

 

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)

Follow the link to the SBB online timetable and Ticket shop. Rail and bus travel in Switzerland are wonderfully integrated, and work like clockwork ... though there are not many bargains. It is worth looking at the Swiss Transfer Ticket, which gives you a return fare from entry point to destination for CHF 135. This must be bought before you travel, from the Swiss Travel Centre.

Also, if you are touring from one place to another, it may be possible to send your travelling clothes on to your destination with the Baggage Switzerland service. Pack the whole group's clothes into one bag!

This season, Eurostar have two useful services for skiers and ski touring:

  • A service to the resorts of the Tarentaise, leaving St Pancras on Friday night and Saturday from 20 December 2013 to 4 April 2014.
  • A service to the Valais ( Vallorbe, Aigle, Martigny, Visp and Brig). This leaves St Pancras on Saturday morning ONLY on selected dates.

As well as this, the service to Paris is a useful first leg for many European destinations.

Useful for travel to Spain. Taking ones own car on the ferry is likely to be cheaper (and certainly greener) than flying and hiring a car.

Rome2rio

Rome2rio, based in Melbourne, Australia, is organising the world's transport information. We offer a multi-modal, door-to-door travel search engine that returns itineraries for air, train, coach, ferry, mass transit and driving options to and from any location.

This is an interesting site that is simple to use and detailed in the results it gives, and lists the alternatives by cost, carbon, time taken etc.